Mom pleads guilty to murder after leaving special needs daughter to die, decompose for months inside apartment

Written by: A. Smith

Published April 24, 2025 @ 9:03 AM ET

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. – A DeKalb County mother has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to the murder of her 7-year-old daughter, whose mummified body was found inside a closet months after her death.

On April 23, 29-year-old Alondra Hobbs entered a non-negotiated guilty plea to charges including malice murder, two counts of felony murder, and two counts of first-degree cruelty to children in the death of her daughter, Alivia Jordan. She was immediately sentenced by DeKalb County Superior Court Judge LaTisha Dear Jackson.

Alivia’s remains were discovered on June 25, 2023, after a man at the Hidden Valley apartment complex on Misty Waters Drive in unincorporated Decatur noticed a foul odor coming from a vacant upstairs unit. When he investigated, he found the body of a child inside a closet and called police.

Officers responded to the scene and found Alivia’s severely decomposed body strapped into a stroller inside the closet. A piece of mail recovered from the apartment was addressed to a woman, later identified as Hobbs. Investigators determined that Hobbs had moved out of the unit months earlier.

During a police interview, Hobbs admitted to placing her daughter, who was alive at the time, into a stroller and leaving her in the closet before abandoning the apartment. She told investigators her life had become “too much.” Medical records showed Alivia had autism and suffered seizures due to cerebral palsy.

Hobbs was 27 years old when she was arrested in June 2023. According to prosecutors, her actions led to a “slow, painful, and lonely death” for her daughter.

“Alivia Jordan did not deserve the slow, painful, and lonely death she suffered at the hands of her mother,” said District Attorney Sherry Boston. “I hope her family finds some comfort in knowing that Alondra Hobbs is being held fully accountable. I want parents to know that abandoning a child is never the right choice and help is available for those who are struggling.”

Boston urged families in crisis to seek assistance through FindHelpGA.org, a statewide resource for health and social services.

Relatives described Alivia as “an angel from Heaven” during the court proceedings.

The case was prosecuted by Chief Assistant District Attorney Edward Chase and Senior Assistant District Attorney Jasmine Reese. Detective Heavner of the DeKalb County Police Department led the investigation, with support from DA Investigator Rosalyn Byrd and Supervising Victim Advocate Yuzellie Garcia.